Sophia Kokosalaki

The image of a forceful, slightly sinister form of womanhood is becoming insuppressible this season. Why? "It's the superwoman, really," said Sophia Kokosalaki after sending out her collection of shape-enhancing body dresses and dramatically sculptured lace silhouettes. "I've been inspired by fantastic artsort of comic book, heavy metal illustrations. I thought, 'They're kind of cool, if only they had more taste!' "

Kokosalaki's curvaceous matte-black dresses, cut with minute jigsaw details in the bust and sinuous straps wound around the neck and back, gave an erotic counterpoint of her own to one of the leading themes that are emerging now. She also dealt with sheer-opaque lace and organza in black dresses with intricate curliform cutouts and transparent 3-D sleeves twisted into the shape of stylized waves. It's a kind of dressmaking Kokosalaki has been perfecting for agesone that always weaves in a consciousness of her Greek roots, visible in the minute macramé inserts she uses, or, more obviously, the lyre motif placed in the neckline of the long, sinuous gown in her finale. As a practical girl, she always gives thought, too, to something to wear for daya couple of dark green slicker macs were goodbut it's the evolution of Kokosalaki's elegant but non-chichi vision of how to dress for evening that marks her out as a talent.